Compelled to Tell

DEAD FIVE MINUTES BEFORE 
I had finished my rounds from room to room, as a volunteer hospital chaplain, and was about to leave, when I heard this announcement over the speaker system: 

“Code Alert - Emergency Room; Code Alert – Emergency Room.” 
Just a few minutes earlier, a man by the name of Jon had been brought into the hospital by ambulance, having chest pains. His wife was with him in the emergency room (ER) when, suddenly, he experienced cardiac arrest. His heart stopped beating, and he was dead. The ER doctor immediately called for the code team as he worked on Jon. 

As the code alert announcement was made, the medical team, that was spread out all over the hospital immediately came racing to the ER. 

I thought, “I’ve never gone to a CODE ALERT. I think I’ll go and see if there is any way I can help.” So I joined the running staff and while the medical team headed behind that ominous curtain, I headed straight to the ER desk and said: “Hi! I’m Claire, a volunteer chaplain, and I heard the Code announcement. Can I help? Are there family members here? 

The nurse said, “Yes… Over there is the wife,” and so I hurried over to her and began to comfort her, and pray with her. 

In the midst of this, she suddenly cried out, “But he’s not right with God. He’s not ready!” and I thought, “Ah! She knows something about the need to be right with God!” 

I said, “Then we need to pray for a miracle,” and we did. 

Soon the ER nurse came in smiling and said they were able to bring him back, but he was very unstable, and they didn’t know if they would lose him again. 

We thanked the Lord for this miracle, but the wife said again, “But he’s still not right with God, and they could lose him again.” 

Then she told me how her husband was a backslider who had been to Bible school and had been in the ministry. 

I said, “Well, you’re the wife. Go ask the nurse if I can go in there and pray with him.” 

I had never done anything like that before, but the Lord had opened this door for me, and I needed to step forward for Him. She asked them and they said “Yes,” so I stepped into a situation I had never experienced before. I didn’t know if I had 10 seconds to talk to him, or 30 minutes or a whole day, so I had to talk quickly and effectively. 

As I walked behind the curtains the medical staff stepped back and let me approach Jon. 

I bent close to his face and his opened eyes, and said, “Jon, I’m Claire, a volunteer chaplain, and your wife has told me about you. God has just given you a miracle and brought you back, I know that you know what it means to be saved. Would you like to pray with me right now, and come back to the Lord, and make everything right with Him? “ 

With great earnestness he said, “Yes!” and we prayed. He smiled and thanked me, and I quickly stepped away, letting the medical team return to his care. 

Three weeks later, I was back visiting patients and walked into my last room, and there he was. It was Jon, and he looked at me and excitedly said, “It’s YOU!” and I said, “It’s YOU!” 

“Yes,” he said. “It’s really me, and I’m still alive and I’m still saved! Praise the Lord!” 

Think of it! Here is a man who was dead five minutes before and, five minutes later, he was truly alive and redeemed by the grace of God. What a thrill that was to my soul! I cannot help but give this testimony everywhere I go. It thrilled me to witness the mighty hand of God drawing a man from death to eternal life. 

Everywhere we go there are people on the edge of eternity. If we make ourselves available, God can use us to win them for Him!”